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| Photo credit and more at Snopes. |
Until now, I hadn't heard this verified story of a wholesaler spreading rumors about the urine content of Corona, although "workers pissing in vats" certainly goes back a long way.
Naturally, I've often accused Corona of being carbonated urine, which was intended metaphorically, of course.
I think.
Meanwhile, metaphor isn't something associated with our President-elect, so there was nothing symbolic about the prices being charged for drinks at Donald Trump's victory party's cash-only bar, though we're left to speculate whether Mexican or Dutch mass-market lager made it onto the "imported" list for eleven bucks.
$7 for a soft drink? This aren't rural American prices at all, but funnier yet is this headline in Fortune:
Maker of Corona Beer Sees Stock Tumble After Trump Victory
I'd mention the prospect of this tumble affecting Ballast Point, but who needs Zombie Craft in the Time of Trump? He doesn't strike me as a Double IPA kind of guy, though especially now, I suppose anything's possible.
Back to the 1980s, and Heineken's dirty pool.
In 1987, Heineken Tried to Convince Beer Drinkers That Corona Was Actually Urine, by Mariana Zapata (Atlas Obscura)
It turns out Heineken is the original mean girl.
Though the brand had only arrived to the United States in 1979, its rise to the top was almost immediate. Its allure as the “California surfer/life by the beach” beer of choice, made it a national favorite. Less than ten years after its arrival, it was second only to Heineken for imported beer popularity.
It seemed like nothing could stop Corona Extra, a product of the Mexican beer company, Grupo Modelo. But then, unexpectedly, stores begun to refuse to sell it, sales plummeted, and the entire country turned against it. The reason? A rumor that urine was one of its components.
Beer distributors whispered that Mexican workers used beer containers destined to be exported to the U.S. as urinals. Supposedly, this was the way the irate workers took vengeance on their northern neighbors and fiercest rivals. Or something to that effect.
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